The Damage Done is Far Beyond Repair
by Briella2005
Summary: It was just an innocent -okay revenge filled- prank. Why is Briella crying, Colton not sleeping, and Dad and Uncle Sam investigating? Brayden gets more than he bargained for when a prank turns malicious. WARNING: contains disciplinary spanking


The idea came to him about a month ago. Brayden was bored and scrolling through a social media app when he came across the prank video. He knew instantly he wanted to prank his cousin, but he needed to wait for the right time.

He had kept the basic concept in the back of his mind and occasionally toyed with the details. The original used a tape recorder. But, he had a Bluetooth speaker. That would be more discreet. More scary. Or was it scarier? Shit, maybe he should be paying attention to old lady Higgins and her English lesson.

Brayden tried to focus. He really did. Even Uncle Sam's ominous threat of imminent punishment for bad grades wasn't enough. The thrill of the prank was just too much. Plus, he was finally off Dad's grounding, which was all Colton's fault by the way, so he had access to his phone again.

"Brayden, are you still with us?" Mrs. Higgins asked in her condescending voice.

"I'm sitting right here, ain't I?" He responded.

"Perhaps you are physically here, but surely not mentally."

Her comment pissed Brayden off. He wanted to call her a bitch at the very minimum, a fucking cunt seemed more appropriate. But Dad would definitely have his ass for that one. Instead he chose to act like the comment hadn't hurt.

He rolled his eyes and issued a "whatever" before crossing his arms and offering a smirk in her direction. "I don't care what you think."

"Perhaps if you did, Mr. Winchester, your grade wouldn't be so dismal. A parent teacher conference may be in order." His teacher offered a smirk of her own and Brayden wanted to scream. The last fucking thing he needed was Dad, Uncle Sam, or Gramps being called into the school to talk about his lack of respect and poor grades.

He didn't respond. Instead he drew some less than flattering pictures of the woman in his notebook.

"I can't believe you didn't flip on her." His friend, Luke, commented after they left the class.

"Yeah, whatever. I didn't feel like being grounded again." Brayden said. He was half telling the truth. He really didn't feel like getting his ass spanked, which was more likely to be the outcome, but he also didn't want to be grounded.

The rest of the day hadn't gotten much better. Around 1:30 he checked his phone at a 'green zone.' He had a text from Uncle Sam which was unusual, because the man had a thing about texting during school.

'Need to work late, won't be home to get the kids off the bus. Briella is going with friends.'

Brayden, text back, 'k. I'll get them'.

Instantly, he got a response, 'Get off your phone.'

He rolled his eyes but did so anyway. Of course Uncle Sam would check him for being on his phone, even if he text first. Brayden wasn't going to let it bother him though. This actually was a good thing. Uncle Sam and Ella not being home allowed for Brayden to move freely throughout the house.

Brayden was proud of himself. He got his cousins off the bus, gave them a snack and hid a Bluetooth speaker in his shared room all without incident and within an hour. Cecelia was playing with her kitchen set and Colton was building a city out of Legos. Brayden took the opportunity to kick some ass on Xbox. Carson and Luke should be online.

Around an hour later, he heard his father's voice.

"Turn off the TV."

"Hang on, lemme finish this round." Brayden answered casually.

Dad growled his response, causing Brayden to turn and look at him. "No, shut it down. You're grounded." His eyes were piercing and Brayden could tell he was pissed. But why? He hadn't done anything.

"What the hell? Why?" Brayden spat back.

"Because!" Now Dad was yelling. His voice was demanding and precise. Brayden hated to admit it, but he was a little fearful of him when he started yelling this loud. Dad had a way of making him feel like a small child.

"You can't keep your fucking mouth shut! Mrs. Higgins called today. I've had it with the disrespect Brayden!"

Brayden was honestly shocked. He really hadn't said anything that bad to Higgins. "Dad come on I didn't even do anything. She's just a bitch."

"Turn off the god damn Xbox before I smash it." Dad started walking towards the couch. Brayden fumbled with the controller for a second but was able to shut off the console. His stomach dropped as his father leaned in close, inches from his face. Brayden was sitting on the couch and Dad's arms were on either side of him. He was literally trapped by his large frame.

"I'm serious about this Brayden. You need to keep a civil tongue." He paused briefly, "If I get another call from Higgins, or any other teacher, I will beat your ass raw."

Brayden forced himself to look into his father's blazing eyes. He could feel the warm breath coming from Dad's flared nostrils. Brayden would be shitting himself if he didn't know Dean. Talk about intimidation.

"Yes sir." He managed to say, voice contrite and small.

Dad nodded and started to back up. It looked like he wanted to say more, but was distracted by Cecelia's soft crying. It was as though seeing his niece cry made Dean calm himself. Brayden felt a pang of jealousy at the softness in his voice as he approached her.

"Hey sweetheart. I'm sorry." CeCe was lifted into her uncle's strong arms and she cuddled into his chest. "I shouldn't have yelled like that."

The pair moved to sit on the couch next to Brayden. He took the opportunity to discuss what had happened. After all, Dad wouldn't yell holding CeCe and his hands would be occupied.

"Honestly Dad. I didn't say anything that bad to Higgins. She called me out for not paying attention and I didn't even talk back." He reconsidered, "okay I didn't swear or anything." Brayden offered a grin and shoulder shrug.

Dad snorted, "I think her idea of respect and yours is a little off. You're too much like your old man, Bray." Dad offered a small smile.

Brayden wanted to be pissed at Dad but he couldn't. Dad tended to fly off the handle and dish out ultimatums and punishments. Brayden knew this. He also knew Dad loved him more than anything.

"So," Brayden hesitated after feeling his phone vibrate, "am I looking at solitary level grounding or what?"

Dad sighed, "Promise to keep your attitude in check?"

"Yessir"

"Alright. Then stay off the Xbox for the next week. But, look at me Bray," Dad stopped until their eyes met. Brayden instantly noted they were softer than earlier, but still piercing. "If I get one more report of disrespect, you're done. No electronics, no sports, no leaving your bedroom. And my belt will be coming off."

Brayden nodded his head.

"Let me hear it."

"If you get a call you're gonna beat my ass and I'm never doing anything fun again." Brayden answered dramatically.

"Good man." Dean commented and turned up the volume on the tv.

"Daddy!" Cecelia sat up in Dean's lap when she heard the garage door close. Uncle Sam came in through the kitchen door. He looked exhausted and instantly grabbed a beer from the fridge.

"Hi baby." Uncle Sam took his daughter from his brother and moved to the other end of the couch.

Brayden felt his phone vibrate again and pulled it out of his pocket.

It was from his twin, Briella. 'You okay?'

'Yeah' He responded.

'Why was Dad flipping out?'

'How do you know?'

'Carson text me. He heard through Xbox live'

'Oh. Just Higgins being a bitch'

'So you're okay?'

'I'm fine Ella. Just grounded from the Xbox.'

He returned his phone to his pocket. Dad was still on edge and it was best not to poke the bear. Usually Dad didn't care about electronics too much, but Brayden couldn't take any chances right now. He needed to implement the second part of his plan.

Finally, six hours later, Dad and Uncle Sam had gone to bed. Colton had been asleep for a few hours now. It was time. Brayden had been waiting for this for weeks. He cautiously turned on the Bluetooth speaker and held his breath as it made a power-on sound. No movement. Next, he ensured his phone was connected to the speaker and there wasn't anything else playing in the background. In all fairness, Brayden was a 15 year old boy, he had certain needs.

He double checked he couldn't hear any movement in the house. Brayden held his breath and tried to slow his heart rate, which was pounding right now.

He hit the play button and hid his phone under the pillow. A slow creaking sound played from the speaker. Brayden wanted to roll over and watch Colton, but that would be too obvious.

The sounds coming out of the speaker shifted to a low mumble, not many decibels above a whisper. They were barely audible, yet broken and strained.

Colton was definitely awake now. Brayden was pretty sure he sat upright in his bed. He wanted nothing more than to shove his phone into Colton's tattling face and laugh. But he couldn't. Not yet. He wasn't done having fun.

"Brayden?" Colton whispered.

"Brayden" Slightly louder.

He heard the bedroom door open and Colton run down the hall. Quickly, Brayden paused the sounds and placed his phone face down on the floor. He covered his head with his comforter and waited.

Brayden heard movement in the room. He uncovered his head and pretended to act drowsy when the light was flicked on.

"What're you doing?" He asked.

Uncle Sam was standing in his boxer, hair a mess, and a level 3 bitchface. He couldn't know about the prank, right? He was probably just cranky Colt woke him up.

His cousin was standing behind Sam in the hallway, he peaked his head in to briefly look around the room.

"Colton, I promise you. There is nothing in your closet."

"I heard it though. It was walking around and saying stuff."

As if to prove a point, Uncle Sam walked towards the closet and opened it gently. "Come here, kiddo." He held his arm out for Colton and bent down to hold him tightly.

"There isn't anything here." He paused and rubbed his son's back. "Go ahead, walk in. I'm right here." Sam held onto his hand as he walked into the small closet.

Fuck. Brayden's heart started to pound again. What if Colton found the speaker? Colton probably wouldn't notice it. But Uncle Sam might.

"Do you see anything?"

He shook his head, "No Daddy."

"See Colt, there isn't anything to be afraid of. I think it was just a nightmare. But if you need to, you can sleep in my room tonight."

Brayden had never seen Colton move so fast. He grabbed his stuffed shark and ran out the door. Uncle Sam turned towards Brayden then. At first it was difficult to take him seriously due to his lack of clothing, but, quickly, Brayden was reminded of how strong and muscular his uncle was.

"Did you hear anything?" His voice not necessarily angry, more matter of fact.

"No sir."

"You sure?"

"The light woke me up. I didn't even know Colt left." He lied.

"Alright. Goodnight Brayden. Try to get some sleep." Uncle Sam shut off the light and retreated to his room.

Brayden sighed with relief. He hadn't expected Colton to run for his Dad. He really hadn't expected Uncle Sam to investigate the closet. Maybe he should reconsider his plan.

The next morning, Brayden woke up later than usual. He had a restless night and had finally fell into a deep sleep around sunrise. He wanted to lay in bed longer but the smell of bacon won him over.

Colton was sitting on the bar stool, Uncle Sam directly behind him with a hand on his shoulder. Dad was on the other side of the counter, flipping pancakes. He nodded towards his son as he entered the kitchen.

"Morning. How was your night?"

How should he answer? If he didn't acknowledge what happened Dad might get suspicious, but if said too much, he'd look guilty.

"Okay I guess. It was hard to fall back asleep after Colt and Uncle Sam left." Brayden answered honestly.

Dad's voice dropped a few notches, "Did you hear anything last night Brayden? Any strange smells? Cold spots?"

His stomach was starting to hurt, Dad and Uncle Sam actually believed there might be a ghost. "No sir. Nothing."

"Colton, I think you were just imagining things. Sometimes our mind plays tricks on us. I promise Uncle Dean and I would never allow anything to hurt you."

"I heard it though Daddy." Colton looked sad.

Briella spoke for the first time, "Why don't you guys just inspect the closet? Like EMF and salt and all that jazz."

"You know, that's not a bad idea." Dad commented and looked at his nephew, "How would you like to go on a ghost hunt kiddo?"

The twins and Cecelia stayed down stairs while their dads and Colton went upstairs to investigate the closet. The Winchester kids knew about the ghosts, demons, and creatures that go bump in the night. But they also knew the house was warded and their fathers and grandfather would never allow anything supernatural without 100 miles of them.

"Do you really think there's a ghost?" Briella asked, her voice slightly unsteady.

"I doubt it. Dad and Uncle Sam woulda knew about it." Brayden commented.

"Maybe. What if it's new? What if we did something that upset it?"

"I'm sure it's just Colton being annoying."

Briella looked at though she wanted to say something, but didn't. Brayden was kind of proud of himself. Not only had he freaked his cousin out, but his sister was starting to worry too.

Uncle Sam and Dad came down the stairs followed by Colton.

"Well?"

"Nothing Ella. No trace of anything. There is nothing in that closet." Dad answered firmly. "Feel better now, Colt?"

"Yeah, thanks." He offered a hug to his father and uncle.

Brayden couldn't help but notice Briella also looked relieved.

That night, Brayden engaged in a similar ritual. Last nights fear forgotten. Surely if they were suspicious of the speaker, Dad or Uncle Sam would have said something after their investigation. Brayden reassured himself that a closet shelf was a reasonable place to store a speaker and nothing suspicious. He waited until there were no sounds anywhere in the house, took out his phone, and hit play.

The creaking floor boards played lightly through the speaker, followed by the broken voices. Colton was definitely awake. Brayden could hear his hitched breathing.

"Brayden." Louder than last night, but still not loud enough to be unrealistic to ignore.

"Brayden, please."

The sounds coming from the speaker became slightly louder and the murmurs became grainier and raspy.

"Brayden wake up!" Colton yelled.

Shit. He couldn't ignore this one. Brayden quickly reached under his pillow and paused his phone. He rolled over then to look at Colton.

"What the fuck, Colt?"

"Listen. It's back."

"I don't hear anything."

The lights flicked on, revealing a pissed off Dad.

"What's going on in here?" He asked.

"Nothing Dad."

"I'm not playing games. Why was Colton screaming?"

"Uncle Dean, it's back. The thing in my closet." He cried and grabbed his stuffed animal to pull tighter to his chest.

Dad sighed, "Colt, you were there. Your dad and I checked that closet with every tool we have. Other than some gross socks of Brayden's, there isn't anything to be afraid of."

"No." Colton said simply.

"Do you want to sleep in my room?"

Colton's response was mostly nonverbal, as he nodded his head, and offered a weak, "please."

"Go ahead, I'll be in inna minute." Dad said and started walking towards the other bed.

He leaned down and steadied himself with both palms laid on either side of Brayden, "If I find out you have something to do with this, I promise you won't be sitting easy."

Brayden wanted to play defensive, but Dad was pissed. He hated being woken up in the middle of the night.

He chose the safest option, "Yessir."

Dad let out a breath and narrowed his eyes slightly, but offered no further comments.

The next morning was Sunday and Brayden made his way down the stairs. He was surprised to see his Grandfather sitting at the counter, talking low to his sons. Colton was sleeping on the couch in the living room nearby.

"Good morning sleeping beauty." Gramps commented. "Come here, I have some questions for you." His voice wasn't a growl, but certainly was more rough than Brayden wanted to deal right now.

"Gee good morning to you too." Brayden couldn't help but fire back, with more attitude than even Uncle Sam would tolerate.

"You know what, how about you give me 50 push-ups, then come here." Gramps demanded, his voice much harsher.

Brayden was seething. He hated pushups as punishment. Gramps didn't even live with them, yet every time he came over he barked orders. And Dad and Uncle Sam just let him. Brayden counted off in his head, but knew his grandpa was keeping his own count. This was confirmed when Gramps spoke at the 50th push-up.

"Hold it."

Brayden held a plank position and waited for the lecture.

"I don't give a shit if it's a good morning or not, you will not give me attitude. And you will answer direct orders respectfully. Understand me?"

Through gritted teeth, Brayden answered sarcastically, "Sir, yes, sir."

"Give me another 50."

50 pushups later and Brayden was ready to collapse. His arms were jello and his hair lined with sweat. Without being told, he held his position after finishing his punishment.

"Now, Brayden" Gramps spoke "are you ready to come talk to me like a civil person?"

"Yessir."

"Are you going to lose your attitude and keep your smart ass comments to yourself?" He stated more harshly.

"Yessir."

"Good. Get up."

Brayden wiped the sweat off his brow and shook out his sore arms. He walked towards his grandfather and sat on the chair next to him. Dad was standing beside the counter with papers laid in front of him. "I keep telling you not to mess with Gramps." Dad laughed.

Gramps turned towards Brayden and asked, with his no-nonsense, give me answers, tone, "Have you heard any sounds in your closet?"

"No sir."

"How is the temperature in the room?"

"Fine" Brayden guessed he was trying to figure out cold spots and continued, "It's the same temperature as the rest of the house."

"Any strange smells?"

"I don't think so."

"Then why is your brother terrified to be in that room?" Gramps leaned in, effectively invading his personal space. Damn, Gramps was intimidating. Obviously Dad learned a thing or two from him.

"He's just being a drama queen." Brayden answered. He needed the adults to drop this ghost hunt business. This whole thing was getting carried away. He was supposed to play the sounds for a few days and scare Colton. That was it.

"Brayden, Colton didn't sleep at all last night because he was afraid that something would hurt him. He finally passed out around 7. Now something is making him that scared and I want to know what the fuck it is." Dad stated.

"Well I don't freaking know! He's probably just being a brat." Brayden was beyond over this conversation.

Uncle Sam, who was previously in his office, joined the conversation, "You know, everyone else is awfully concerned about what's happening. You are the only one that doesn't believe him and somehow you haven't heard a single thing. I'm starting to think maybe you have something to do with all this."

"With what? Him being a little bitch?"

Dad smacked the back of his hand off Brayden's mouth. It didn't hurt, not really. It was more of a warning to watch himself. Brayden took the smack for what it was worth, however, and backed down. He apologized to his family and thankfully no more what said about the subject.

Brayden laid low and enjoyed a lazy Sunday. He was grounded from the Xbox, but was able to watch tv and message his friends on his phone. The adults did an even more intense investigation of the surrounding area but ultimately found nothing. Brayden would have felt bad for them wasting their time, but figured if nothing else it was good practice. Gramps still hunted pretty often, but Dad and Uncle Sam had backed off to raise their families.

Thankfully he didn't get much more shit from Dad, Gramps, or Uncle Sam. They were all definitely on edge though and barked out orders with little room for patience. Uncle Sam put Cecelia in time out when she didn't instantly pick up toys and Gramps swatted Briella for rolling her eyes. The only Winchester child not getting shit was Colton. Who was treated like the fucking baby he was and given everything he asked for.

Around 8 o'clock, Uncle Sam announced it was time for Cece and Colton to get ready for bed.

"Can I sleep with you again?" Colton asked.

"I really want you to try to sleep in your bed." Uncle Sam soothed, "We checked the entire house out today. There is nothing supernatural here. I promise."

Colton was crying softly, "But.. that thing. I heard it."

Uncle Sam's voice was still calm, but Brayden could tell he was close to loosing his empathy. "It is your imagination. There is nothing there. Try to sleep in your bed. Okay? Brayden will be right beside you."

"No he won't. He goes to bed later than me." Colton whined.

Dad spoke up, "not tonight." He looked towards Brayden, "hit the sack. And leave your phone with me."

"What Dad? Come on!"

"You're not going to lay up there on your phone."

"Why not? It's 8 o'clock! What am I supposed to do for the next two hours?" Brayden was starting to get upset. Why did Dad think it was okay to send him to bed like a child?

Dad stated casually, "Work on your attitude."

Fuck that. Brayden slammed his phone down on the coffee table and stomped up the stairs. He shut the door with just enough force. Dad has taken his door off before and Brayden knew damn well he'd take it off again. He heard his father yell something up the steps about hoping his screen didn't crack but chose to ignore the comment.

Colton came into the room not long after and got his things to shower. Brayden wished he had his phone. Screw the stupid prank, he just wanted something to do. He'd take endless scrolling on Facebook over laying in his bed and looking at the ceiling. His self-loathing was interrupted by a soft knock on the door. His twin entered sheepishly.

"Hey." She looked nervous, "I need to talk to you."

Thankful for some entertainment, Brayden answered, "What's up?"

"Okay. So Dad thinks I'm taking a bath in Uncle Sam's room. I gotta go quick. Remember last week when Addison invited Raquel and Kenna over?"

Brayden remembered the night. Addison wasn't necessary a bad friend, but she definitely wasn't winning any awards. She had little concerns for the feelings of others. After deeming Briella boring and getting an offer to hang with more popular kids, Addison took it upon herself to invite them over to the Winchester's home. Thankfully for Briella, Uncle Sam was in charge and believed she had not intentionally gone behind his back. The worst she got was a mini lecture about choosing friends wisely and peer pressure.

He answered her question, "Yeah what about it?"

Briella looked more nervous. "Promise you won't tell anyone?"

"That bad?"

"Brayden!" She squeaked. "Come on."

"Okay, okay. I won't tell anyone." Brayden tried not to laugh at his sister's dramatics. If he wasn't bored out of his mind he would be so over her girl drama. "What's going on?"

"We did a seance." She blurted.

Okay. That threw Brayden off a little. He was expecting her to say Addison cheated on her boyfriend, not that she tried to summon a spirit.

Briella continued, "What if that" she waved towards the closet "is because of me?"

Brayden could tell Briella was holding back tears. He felt guilty. Scaring Colton for being a tattle tale was justifiable and deserving. Scaring his sister for having a shitty friend was just being a douche. He was about to confess to her and beg for the same secrecy, but Colton interrupted as he returned to the room. Brayden's stomach felt as though it filled with ice water when Uncle Sam followed him.

"Briella, I thought you were taking a bubble bath?" He asked.

"I, um, I" Briella tried.

"She was just asking why I was being a jerk today." Brayden provided an excuse.

Uncle Sam gave a level 2 bitchface, but accepted the response. He dismissed Briella to his bathroom to get ready for bed and gave Colton some more reassurance before retreating down the stairs.

Obviously, without his phone, Brayden had to take the night off. He had finally drifted into sleep when Colton's soft crying woke him.

"Colt, what's wrong?" He asked, barely coherent.

"I'm scared. I think I heard it again."

"That's not possible." Brayden thought out loud.

"Just leave me alone. Nobody believes me."

Annoyed, Brayden rolled over and ignored his cousin's continued crying. Eventually, he fell back asleep.

The next morning, Brayden was woken up by Dad, as he didn't have his phone for an alarm. It was earlier than usual, but he didn't think much of it. "Downstairs in 5." Was all Dad said.

Colton was sitting at the table drinking hot chocolate. Uncle Sam was beside him with an arm draped over the back of his chair. Briella was sitting on the other side of the table facing Sam. Her hair was half straight at the bottom and the top thrown messily on top; as if she was stopped in the middle. Dad was standing slightly behind her and pointed to the chair beside his daughter. Brayden complied and sat instantly.

Dad moved to sit at the end of the table, between Brayden and Colton. He leaned forward on his elbows and looked to the side of the table with his kids.

"I'm done playing games. I want to know why the fuck Colton is so terrified of his bedroom he sat up all night crying."

Briella started to cry. "I'm so sorry Daddy. This is all my fault."

No. Shit. Brayden couldn't let Briella get in trouble. She didn't cause this. "Briella. Don't."

Dad demanded, "Brayden, let her talk."

"She's not going -" he was cut off.

Dad screamed, lifting himself from the chair, "IF YOU CAN'T -"

Uncle Sam cut off his older brother, much like Dean had done to his son, only grabbed onto his shoulder and pushed him back. "Dean. You need to calm down."

Dad looked at though he wanted to punch his brother. He slammed his fist on the table and threw his chair back to get up. Brayden grabbed his sister's hand and offered a comforting squeeze while they both watched their very angry father pace around the room. Dad stopped a few times to rub a hand across his short stubble or through his hair. Finally, he returned the chair to its upright position and sat roughly.

"Better?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. I'm good."

Uncle Sam nodded. He took control of the conversation, addressing Briella. "Okay, What were you saying?"

"But first," Uncle Sam held up his hand, "No interrupting Brayden. You'll have your chance to talk. But right now, I want to hear from her. Got it?"

Brayden knew when to back down, "yessir."

Briella restarted, "I'm sorry. This is all my fault."

"How is it your fault?" Uncle Sam asked, gently.

Briella gave Uncle Sam a similar version of the story she told to Brayden the previous night.

Uncle Sam was definitely pissed. He was talking through gritted teeth and his jaw line was harsh. But he wasn't yelling. Brayden glanced briefly at his Dad, who looked like he was ready to strangle someone with his bare hands. Most likely Addison.

"Where did you do the seance, Briella?"

"In my room, sir." Briella rarely called Uncle Sam 'sir' - only when she was in a lot of trouble.

Sam looked towards his brother, "Could be. Her room is next door to the boys."

Dad spoke for the first time since returning to the table, "Tell me exactly what you said." His voice was venomous.

Through tears, Briella answered, "I don't remember. Kenna found it online somewhere."

"It still doesn't make sense though Dean. We combed every inch of that closet. Everything was negative."

"I know Sammy. But we must've missed something. Briella, what happened during your seance? Did you hear anything? See anything?"

"Uhm, no sir. Actually, nothing happened." Briella wiped her eyes, "I only agreed to do it because I knew you and Uncle Sam had this place warded. I didn't think anything would happen. Honestly Dad!" Her voice started to rise at the end and was heavy with emotion.

"That's because it's not her fault. It's mine." Brayden let out in a quick sentence.

"Care to elaborate?" Dad demanded more than questioned.

"I saw this prank video and I thought it was funny. But then Colton got me grounded and I got pissed off. So I decided to scare him. But then it got carried away and you guys actually believed there was a ghost. And then Briella got scared and everything happened." Brayden felt relieved, but knew it was far from over.

Of course Dad and Uncle Sam wanted answers and Brayden's confession left more questions than anything. He asked for his phone back and walked the group upstairs. Brayden showed them the hidden Bluetooth speaker and played the recording.

"Is this what you had heard Colton?" Uncle Sam asked.

He nodded, "that's it."

"But why?" Dad asked. "Pranking your brother is a right of passage. But this?" He motioned around the room "this is taking it too far. Colton was scared to death, Brayden! He barely slept over the past three nights."

"I don't know, Dad. Because I was pissed off. Colton tattled about the microwave and I was mad I got grounded."

"Colton didn't tell me about the microwave. You're the only one that likes the spicy burritos. It wasn't hard to put it together."

Brayden's face fell and he felt like the biggest asshole on the face of the earth. He looked to Colton and for the first time, realized just how rough he looked. His eyes were bloodshot and droopy. He was pale and shaking slightly. Brayden wasn't convinced he would be able to stand without Uncle Sam's support.

Dad continued, "So this whole thing was because _you_ got _yourself_ grounded and we're too stubborn to admit it was _your_ own fault. So you blamed Colton and thought scaring the shit out of him, making Sam and I worry something was haunting him and guilting your sister was the best solution?" He wasn't yelling, but he wasn't calm either.

"I'm sorry Dad. I didn't mean for all this to happened."

"It's a little late for sorries. Wait here. I'll be back to deal with you. Briella - you're not off the hook but right now I'm focusing on your brother. Go finish getting ready for school. I'll drop you off late."

Briella left with her head down. Uncle Sam had taken Colton out of the room, probably to his own bed to encourage him to sleep now that he knew for certain there wasn't a ghost. Dad ran a hand through his hair and sighed as he walked out of the room. Leaving Brayden alone.

Brayden sat on his bed and waited. He knew he was in for a spanking, and he knew it would be bad. His stomach was in knots and he wanted nothing more than to get his punishment over with. He heard the garage door open and assumed Dad was taking his sister to school. Apparently getting his ass kicked was more important than his education.

He heard the garage door again signaling Dad was home. Brayden assumed Uncle Sam was working from home today, as he usually did on Mondays, so it couldn't be him leaving. But if it was Dad, why wasn't he kicking Brayden's ass yet? It had been over 2 hours since he was harshly woken; about an hour of which was spent waiting in his room. He hated waiting and thinking about how his ability to sit would soon be taken. He knew this spanking would be bad. He fucking terrified Colton. He deserved to be 'whipped raw' as Dad would often threaten.

Finally, 20 minutes later, he heard the soft knock on his door. "Come in."

"I don't even know where to start Brayden. I'm so disappointed. In myself and you." Well this was a great start.

"I know Dad. I was a shitty big brother."

"I'm not disagreeing Bray. What you did was a horrible prank. And I know crappy pranks. Uncle Sam and I went through a phase. It started innocently but it soon escalated and ended with a lot of hurt feelings. But you skipped the fun stage and went right for the kill."

"Did Colton really not snitch?" Brayden asked with dread on his voice.

"No, he didn't. Like I said Brayden, Briella and Cecelia hate spicy and Colton doesn't like chicken. It wasn't hard to figure out who blew up the burrito."

Brayden let the emotion of the day out and allowed the tears he had been holding to fall. Realization hit of just how much pain he caused Colton.

"I promise Dad. I didn't think he would get that scared."

"I believe you." He paused for a second before adding' "You ready to get this over with?" Dad touched his belt buckle lightly.

Brayden's stomach filled with dread and guilt. He didn't want a spanking. He knew he deserved it but that doesn't mean he wanted it.

Reluctantly, he answered, "how do you want me?"

"Drop 'em and bend over the bed."

Brayden pushed his pajama pants to his ankles and bent over the edge of the bed. He had a rather large box spring and the bed itself was just under waist height. He folded his arms and placed his head between them. He prepared for the first smack.

Thankfully, he didn't have to wait long as the first lash of the belt hit him right below the boxers. Fuck. That was unusual. And painful. Dad never started on the thighs. He must be really pissed. Brayden felt three more lashes that hit in roughly the same spot and let out a short scream. Dad wasn't holding back as much as usual and he started moving towards the fleshy part of his ass. Brayden let out grasps of held breaths and tiny sobs. Soon Dad was swinging the belt and hitting all over his throbbing butt, ensuring every centimeter from the middle of his naked thighs to the top of his cheeks were layered in belt marks. Brayden didn't know how much longer he could take the pain when Dad yanked his boxers down. Brayden heard what he thought was the belt hitting the floor. His thoughts were refocused to the renewed pain in his ass. Dad landed sharp hand spanks on the sensitive undercurve where butt met thigh. The force pushed Brayden further into the bedspread and upwards onto his toes. Shit, how could Dad's hand hurt just as much as his belt? Brayden gave up and sobbed loudly into his fist.

Brayden didn't know when Dad stopped. But, eventually he wasn't feeling the rhythmic swats and slowly lifted himself into his forearms.

"You can get up." Dad announced, his voice hoarse.

Brayden pulled his boxers up and turned to face his father. He was terrified of the expression he might see. However, instead of anger, he saw fear, and maybe regret. It almost looked like Dad had cried a little. Brayden didn't have time to examine his face though as he was pulled into Dad's broad chest and held tightly. Brayden didn't think he had any tears left but apparently he did.

Several minutes later, Dad pushed him away gently.

"Look at me Bray." Brayden did. "Please don't make me do that again."

"I don't plan on it."

"I know I just whipped your ass to shreds. And I know your probably mad at me. But I also know how bad it hurts. It's probably still throbbing, but pretty soon it's gonna be a dull pain."

"Can't wait." Brayden said, not disrespectful, rather remorseful.

"I also don't regret it. You ever do something that careless and mean again - I'll do the exact same thing. Got it?"

His stomach filled with anxiety again, "yessir."

"Alright. Lay down kiddo. You're probably exhausted." Dad helped him onto the bed and moved his comforter to the side. "Don't imagine you want anything near your ass right now."

"Uh uh." Brayden shook his head and wiped the final few tears. He felt his father offer a kiss to his temple just as he shut his eyes and started to drift into sleep. "I love you, Brayden."

It could have been minutes, hours, or even days. Brayden wasn't sure how much time had passed when he woke up. Almost instantly, he was reminded of his run in with the leather belt from hell and groaned. Dad was right, of course, and his ass went from stinging to a continuous dull pain. He was grateful only his thin boxers were touching the inflamed skin. He was suddenly aware of how full his bladder was and his need to pee. While in the bathroom, he couldn't help himself and attempted to check out Dad's handiwork in the mirror. He cringed after seeing the damage. Yeah, he was going to be sore for awhile.

Brayden made his was back to his room and was preparing for a night of self-loathing. Instead, Briella was sitting on Colton's bed.

"You okay?" She asked eagerly as soon as Brayden entered the doorframe.

"Could be better."

"I'm sorry Brayden. I didn't know. I wouldn't have said anything if I knew."

"It's alright. He woulda figured it out eventually. I should have known from the start I was in for a whooping for this."

"Was it bad?"

Brayden didn't respond verbally. He simply turned to show off his marked thighs.

"OH MY GOD!" Briella gasped.

Brayden offered a small smile, "You should see the rest of it. I got a double whammy. Belt and hand. Never saw that one before." He mused out loud.

Seeing the look on his sister's face, Brayden knew he needed to get the focus off of him. "What about you?" He walked closer to Ella, "What'd Dad do?"

His sister shook her head, "Nothing like that." She eyed her brother. "I'm grounded for basically ever and can't hang out with Addison anymore."

"Did he smack you?"

"No." Briella answered. "I gotta go back down stairs. Uncle Sam said to leave you alone but I had to make sure you were okay." She walked over to Brayden and he grabbed her for a tight hug.

Brayden debated going downstairs but wasn't sure if he was allowed. He laid in his bed looking out the window for some time. He heard someone in the hallway and stood to see which family member.

"Hey, Colton, come here." His voice was broken, "please."

Colton walked into the room and instantly Brayden wrapped him in a hug. "I'm so sorry Colton. Please. I never meant to scare you this bad."

After being released, Colton responded, "Uncle Dean told me he spanked you really hard."

Brayden offered a small chuckled, "Yeah, he let me have it."

"I was really scared Brayden."

"I know Colton. And I was an asshole. I wanted to prank you. And I promise I was only going to do it for a day or two. But you were so scared."

"I really thought it was a ghost." Colton whimpered.

"I'm going to make this up to you, little brother."

"Can we play 'Risk'?" Colton asked with a smile.

Brayden couldn't help but smile back. Colton loved Risk, he was absolutely awful at it. But he loved it. Brayden not so much. But right now he'd do anything for him - even suffer through a board game with a confused 9 year old.

"Sure. But I'm standing at the counter." Brayden answered.

Colton nodded and ran out of the room. Brayden's ass was in pain, but his chest felt lighter. Briella didn't get in too much trouble and Colton wasn't mad. After everything that had happened, Brayden was ready to just play a board game and forget about the weekend. Apparently his family was too. When Brayden made his way, admittedly very slowly, down the stairs, his whole family - even Gramps - was waiting around the high counter. Monopoly set up in front of them.

"We decided we could all play this." Colton smiled and handed Brayden his stack of money.

"You okay?" Uncle Sam asked, his voice gentle and caring.

Before he could respond, Dad wrapped an arm around his shoulder and proved a half hug. Gramps interrupted, "Dean didn't go too hard on you, did he?" He winked at his grandson.

"Nothing I didn't deserve."

All three adults nodded their heads. CeCe jumped from her father's lap and grabbed Brayden's hand, "You're on my team! We're the puppy!" She said excitedly.

In the end, Briella had won the game, but only after Gramps "forgot" he owned the hotel on Pennsylvania Ave. The family shared in laughter and Brayden almost forgot about his sore ass.

After everything was said and done, Brayden didn't regret his prank. Sure he wished he never got his ass beat, but he also discovered just how protective his Dad was. Dad, and Uncle Sam, went above and beyond to make Colton feel safe. He knew they would do the same for him. And somehow, that made everything worth it.


End file.
